Have you ever read bedtime stories to your children or still are doing it? Then you surely know how much the children enjoy the additional time for cuddling with mummy or daddy. But, reading bedtime stories not only promotes good family bonds but also has numerous further positive side effects.
Reasons for a bedtime story:
- Reading promotes family ties: the every evening ritual gives the children a feeling of security and comfort. Often, while reading the children cuddle with the reading person and they enjoy the undivided attention of their parents. This sometimes leads to a conversation about wishes and fears.
- Reading out supports falling asleep: the positive atmosphere created by reading out supports your child in calming down, it is able to relax and falling asleep becomes easier.
- Reading out supports language competence and vocabulary: already in early childhood it is important to read stories to your child. Telling and reading out stories enlarge the children’s vocabulary and language competence. Also, this provides pronunciation and accentuation of syllables at an early age. Children who experienced reading out most of the time have a more extensive vocabulary.
- Reading out widens the horizon: reading out stimulates curiousness and thirst for knowledge. Books convey various topics and words that are important for education and communication. When listening to the stories children have the possibility to question what was heard and to discuss it with mum or dad.
- Reading out supports reading and writing at school: most of the time, these children can hardly await to learn reading and writing themselves. The child connects with books positive feelings and learning how to read and write are not felt as being strenuous.
- Reading out supports creativity and stimulates imagination: reading out different books supports the child’s imagination. They are able to create pictures and to immerse into the world of fantasy. Furthermore, bedtime stories support logical thinking and memory.
- Reading out trains perseverance and patience: normally, during the time of reading the children are concentrated and are not distracted by other things. But, not only the children’s perseverance and patience are needed: since children sometimes want and need a story read out several times, it trains our perseverance and patience, too.
- Reading out supports social as well as emotional intelligence: when reading and listening to stories, children learn to empathize with different parts. Different ways on how to deal with own and strange emotions become visible. Furthermore, the child is confronted with strange views and actions and learns to understand and to accept them.
If once time is short, listening to a radio play or an audio book is possible as well. These, too, support the child’s creativity and language development and also can be heard during the day. The only thing missing is the social connection.
Receive further information in our sleep-healthy-guidebook “sleep yourself young, fit and successful”, free of cost.
Bildquelle: @fotlia
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